Tag Archives: dogs

Research reveals sharing pet pics is among the best ways to connect with others

Posted on July 8, 2025 | Leave a comment

A re-post by Jessica Stillman from Inc…

I exercise each week with the help of a nifty fitness app (Ladder—it’s great) that offers workout plans from a personal trainer and encouragement from other users. The instructors are knowledgeable and the community encouraging. But neither is my favorite thing about the app. 

My favorite thing is when other users share pictures of their pets. 

Photo: Getty Images

Now, seeing a border collie doing downward dog right along with their owner is, of course, super-adorable. And I am not going to lie. I am a pet lover through and through. Animal pictures make me irrationally happy. 

But my giddiness at seeing someone’s golden retriever running buddy isn’t just about the universal appeal of cute animals or my over-the-top animal obsession. According to recent research, it reveals a useful truth that can help you build relationships not just at the gym, but at work too. 

If you want to connect with people more deeply, the Wharton School at the University of Pennyslyvania study indicates, sharing a picture of your pet is an ideal way to do it. 

Sharing personal information at work is a minefield

The study was born out of a common modern conundrum. Should you connect with colleagues on social media, and if so, what should you share? 

Like the rest of us, the research team realized that social media offered both promise and peril for workers. It can help you feel closer to teammates, which just might make you happier and more successful.  

“One of the things that we found in the study is that people will be much more comfortable connecting to other people who disclose personal information,” Wharton’s Nancy Rothbard, who was involved in the research, explained in one podcast interview. 

But then again, seeing your boss downing a beer with his bros or joking about her colonoscopy (or your boss seeing you doing the same) blurs boundaries that make a lot of us uncomfortable. 

As another Wharton professor, Adam Grant, once observed: “Authenticity without empathy is selfish. Of course we should be true to our values, but one of those values should probably be caring about others.” Your sharing shouldn’t cause others discomfort. 

How are office workers navigating this charged landscape? To find out, the researchers conducted a series of in-depth interviews and also reviewed data on actual social media use. 

Different people, different dangers 

To no one’s surprise, the interviews confirmed that the question of social media use and how much personal information to disclose at work is fraught.

As Rothbard memorially puts it, interviewees “would equate connecting with a boss on Facebook or Instagram as equivalent to connecting with their mother. It was sort of the same horror.”

The team also found that the calculation of what kind of personal information to share was different for different types of people. Women who disclosed more personal information were generally assessed more positively, for instance. This is likely because of stereotypes that suggest women should be warm and friendly. Male bosses who shared a lot, on the other hand, were quickly seen as creepy. 

To reap the benefits and avoid the potential pitfalls of social media at the office, workers employed various strategies, from being an open book to carefully curating their audience or content. (You can read more about these strategies here if you’re interested). 

But whatever strategy they employed, nearly everyone was attempting to hit the same target. They wanted to come across as warm and human so they could connect on a deeper human level. But they didn’t want to embarrass themselves or anyone else by oversharing or prying. 

A pet strategy for connection that works for everyone 

Handily, Rothbard and her colleagues uncovered a secret weapon that anyone can use to hit that elusive sweet spot — your dog. 

“Cute dog pics are a very, very hot commodity,” Rothbard correctly observes.

“If you have a cute dog and you want to post pictures of them, that’s a very good strategy, because people always love them, and they feel like they know you, and they feel connected to you. It gives them a sense of warmth that you’re displaying and a feeling that they know something about you that’s important, and that’s not fake or surface level. So, that personal disclosure really helps to create a bond between you and your fellow co-workers,” she goes on to explain. 

This tallies with a large body of social science research that shows people tend to evaluate others on two basic qualities, warmth and competence. When we meet someone our first instinct is to ask: are they nice? Do they wish me harm? And, are they any good at their job? Can they do the things they say they can do? 

Sharing pics of your weekend keg stand might get you tagged as warm, but it’s not going to do anything for perceptions of your competence. On the other hand, nailing every assignment but never saying a peep about your personal life is great for competence but lousy for warmth. Research suggests those that go furthest project both qualities. 

You know what also allows you to project warmth without undermining your air of professional competence? Your dog doing yoga with you. 

The bottom line here for everyone is a research-backed permission slip to let loose and pepper your team’s Slack channel with your cat’s wacky antics or dog’s doofy smile. You always knew your pets were super cute. Now you have data to prove they are also a secret weapon for connecting with others. 

But there’s also another takeaway here for entrepreneurs and other business leaders, illustrated by my love of my fitness app’s pet picture days. If you want your team or your users to bond without crossing boundaries that make anyone uncomfortable, pets are a go-to move. 

Create that dedicated chat for sharing animal pics. Show off your pooch at the beginning of the Zoom call. Organize a cutest pet pic contest among your team or your customers.

Getting people to talk about their animals is a science-backed way to help them truly connect without oversharing or awkwardness. 

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

Source: Inc.com

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Growing concerns about Librela/Beransa

Posted on May 12, 2025 | Leave a comment

Librela, known as Beransa in New Zealand, came onto the market in 2023 in both the USA and New Zealand (it has been introduced earlier in the UK and Europe, in 2021). In late 2023, I shared this post from Dr Darryl Millis about things to consider before choosing to use it with your dog.

Librela/Beransa is an injectable treatment for canine osteoarthritis manufactured by Zoetis.

The drug works by targeting and blocking the action of nerve growth factor, NGF, with a monoclonal antibody called bedinvetmab. NGF is a protein that plays a role in the pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis. By binding to NGF, bedinvetmab prevents NGF from activating its receptors on nerve cells, thus blocking the pain signal.

In December 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an open letter to veterinarians with an update on its evaluation of adverse effects. That report concluded:

Based on the evaluation and analysis of the reports and signs seen for Librela, the
recommendation is to add a Post Approval Experience (PAE) section to the current label:

Post Approval Experience Section (2024)
The following adverse events are based on post-approval adverse drug experience reporting
for LIBRELA. Not all adverse events are reported to FDA/CVM. It is not always possible to
reliably estimate the adverse event frequency or establish a causal relationship to product
exposure using these data.

The following adverse events in dogs are categorized in order of decreasing reporting
frequency by body system and in decreasing order of reporting frequency within each body
system:

Neurologic: ataxia, seizures, paresis, proprioceptive deficits, paralysis
General: anorexia, lethargy, recumbency
Renal/Urinary: polydipsia, polyuria/pollakiuria, urinary incontinence
Gastrointestinal: vomiting, diarrhea
Musculoskeletal: muscle weakness, muscle tremors, lameness
In some cases, death (including euthanasia) has been reported as an outcome of the
adverse events listed above.

In addition, we suggest that owners be advised of the adverse reactions that may occur
following administration of Librela.

In the USA, a lawsuit has been filed alleging that Zoetis acted in a negligent manner in promoting its product.

In Australia, a class action lawsuit is being prepared by pet owners who state that their veterinarians described Beransa as a safe and effective drug without known side effects.

Why am I writing this post? To educate and to inform. I’m mindful that many of the commercials for human medications these days remind consumers “All medications have risks and benefits. Talk to your doctor to see if this product is right for you.”

There are veterinarians and dog owners who are reporting good results with this medication, particularly for those dogs who are elderly and for whom other arthritis medications have not worked. If your vet has recommended Beransa, be sure they have explained the possible risks to you and that you are happy to accept those risks on behalf of your dog.

Kathleen Crisley is Fear-Free certified dog massage therapist and canine fitness trainer. She has a particular passion for working with dogs and their families to ensure injury prevention and quality of life. She specialises in working with anxious and emotionally damaged dogs. Her mobile practice, The Balanced Dog, is based in Christchurch, New Zealand

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Doggy quote of the month for May

Posted on April 30, 2025 | Leave a comment
Mark Twain was an American writer, humorist, and essayist.

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Do canine companions make us healthier?

Posted on April 22, 2025 | 1 comment

Chances are you either have a dog, know someone with a dog, or spend too much time on the internet watching dog videos. Dogs. Are. Great. Maybe it’s from uniquely coevolving with humans, or maybe it’s because they’re so darn smart, agile, comforting, and cute—but there’s definitely a connection. Whenever we’re on the move, they’re on the move too—and excited about it. Even if it’s just to the kitchen, it is still a fun adventure together.  

Any one of us living with a dog (a whopping 60 million—or 45.5%—nationally) has anecdotal evidence to back it up. But how can we measure the ways dogs impact our movement habits and thereby our health and wellness? Katie Potter, Behavioral Medicine Lab director and associate professor of kinesiology, decided to find out.  

It all started with a little floppy-eared canine named Chloe. Potter, a slight, brown-haired woman with an athletic frame and a life-long affinity for dogs, adopted the short-haired pup in grad school, and they became inseparable. As someone studying kinesiology and behavioral health, Potter was more aware than most just how much her connection with Chloe improved her wellbeing. Time spent walking and playing with the sweet-tempered Chloe was also time that Potter spent being active and meeting new people in her neighborhood. On bad weather days, people without dogs can be tempted to stay inside in a cozy cocoon of home. But one look at Chloe’s innocent, black-and-white-splotched face had Potter pulling on her boots and reaching for a leash. Chloe also actively helped Potter once she started working in the Behavioral Medicine Lab at UMass, modeling new activity trackers, quality testing the lab treats, and reminding the team to stay in the moment and that, sometimes, you really just need to go for a walk. Potter was a doting pet parent but a scientist through and through.  

When Chloe passed away in 2021, Potter had already been inspired by her to research the ways pet ownership might help people become healthier and more active. Motivated by the understanding of how activity levels contribute to or mitigate health conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis, Potter was convinced that the addition of multiple, small physical activities to a person’s life could lead to big beneficial outcomes. But now, she was even more driven to find out how specifically and find a way to engage a community around a shared love of pet care. Currently, less than 25% of adults in the United States meet the federal guidelines for physical activity. And children aren’t doing any better.

Professor Katie Potter clasps a new activity tracking collar around Percy’s neck while wearing her own for monitoring how close they are to each other.

Dog ownership was a potential avenue to inspire people to move on a grand scale and it excited her. “People are already convinced that animals are good for their health, so we’re trying to determine the evidence base for that,” Potter explains. As she better understands what the impact is from our dog-human bond, she can glean which small actions can be recreated as programs and introduced to the population at large.  

Studies show that, to get people to make healthy, lasting changes to their daily routines, those changes need to be ones they actually enjoy. Luckily, a lot of people enjoy canine companionship. So, over the past five years, Potter and doctoral candidate Colleen Sands ’25 have designed observational studies to show how dog ownership affects/impacts physical activity levels, and the effects on specific health issues. 

The big question

Does getting a dog make you more active? This is one of the biggest questions Potter is trying to answer. It is equally likely that physically active people get dogs because dogs fit within their already active lifestyle. But how do you test for that? 

One of the most difficult parts of this type of experimentation is obtaining data on how active people are before they get a dog. “There’s currently a lack of studies that look at how getting a dog changes the owners’ activity and health—because they’re so logistically challenging,” says Potter. “You have to get data on folks before they bring the dog home and then follow them over time.”  

Fortunately, a Massachusetts-based organization called Last Hope K9 Rescue agreed to work with Potter on a 12-week “BuddyStudy.” The study monitored 11 participants for six weeks as they experienced fostering a new dog. Starting out with baseline measurements—their average daily steps and their perceived stress levels or signs of depression (via questionnaires)—Potter was then able to see any noticeable changes at their mid-point check in.

It should be noted that many of the program participants actually ended up adopting their foster dogs through Last Hope K9 Rescue, making the measurements taken at the end of the study all the more interesting. Though it was a small study, the results were promising. Nearly half of the participants saw large increases in physical activity and nearly three-quarters had improvements in mood after fostering their pups. More than half of the participants met someone new in their neighborhood on a dog walk. Most participants adopted their foster dog after the six-week foster period, and some maintained improvements in physical activity and well-being at the end of the study.

With the promising data from that study, Potter was able to see which metrics and methods were the best for helping find answers to her original question—and many others that popped up throughout this experiment. She hopes to do more studies with foster dogs and cats in the future.

An interest in healthy aging

Armed with questions and hypotheses that occurred to her during one of her earliest studies, Project Rover,Potter decided to double down on her interest in how dogs impact physical activity and health in the older population. In Project Rover, Potter had worked with people over the age of 60, but now she wanted to push the age up a bit higher to see how an older generation would be impacted. She recruited 70- to 84-year-olds to be part of a new observational study called the Lifestyle, Brain, and Cognitive Health Study. The participant pool was divided into dog owners and those who were dog-free. Then, for one week, they were asked to go about their normal lives while activity monitors tracked their activity levels. At the end of the week, participants returned to UMass to have a brain scan and take the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery to test their cognitive function and fluid cognition abilities like problem solving, response time, and ability to adapt to new situations. Ideally, at the end of this type of study, Potter would see improvements across the board with faster response times, more creative problem-solving ideas, and faster transitions to situations. 

Though the group size for this study was too small to make generalizations about the results, Potter is excited about the social connection aspect of the study, since most participants said they had met people through their dog and that those people had become friends. The benefit of having the small sample size is that Potter was able to test her methodology, as she plans to conduct wider studies.

What about the kids?

Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends kids exercise for at least 60 minutes a day? Unfortunately, roughly 40% of children in the United States fall well below that, contributing to a wave of preventable health issues, including mental health impacts. Sands, working on her dissertation under Potter’s tutelage, thought, if we want to create interventions for people, why not start them young? She set out to design the Kids Interacting with Dogs (KID) study, a child-friendly pilot to establish a baseline—starting with children who already had a family dog. 

To start, Sands met with participating families over Zoom for orientation. “While the dogs were certainly not required to join the remote study orientation calls,” Sands explains, “most of the kids were really excited to introduce me to their dogs.” Even though it was a remote study, she did get to witness the strong family-dog bond firsthand. 

Over a one-week period, the study tracked how frequently kids played with the family dog through data received from Actigraphs—Bluetooth accelerometers that also monitor proximity. Every member of the family wore them (Fido included). And, to Sands’s delight, many of the children immediately decorated the monitors for both them and their dogs. By processing the data coming in, Sands was able to see how many cumulative minutes the kids spent with the dogs, how much they walked, and how actively they played.

Surprisingly, only one-third of the time kids were active with their dog was spent walking and (maybe less surprising to anyone who spends time near children or once was one), the other two-thirds were spent playing. That is notable because adult-focused studies show that owners spend the majority of their active time walking their dog and very little time engaged in play. This kid-specific study opens up new ways to explore the development of future physical activity interventions based on play.

Down the leash

Both Potter and Sands are passionate about finding enjoyable interventions that can improve wellness on a large scale. Potter’s dream is to set up an assistance program that pairs students with older or disabled members of the community who need a little help caring for their dogs. Both the community members and the students would reap the benefits of having a dog in their orbit, as well as experiencing a new, intergenerational human connection. 

“One of the cool things about this line of research is that even though physical activity is our primary focus, there are social, emotional, and even academic benefits in human-animal interaction,” Potter shares. “So, there’s the potential for this much more holistic impact.” She says, “This can open up opportunities to areas where we can potentially collaborate with the researchers that are more focused on the animal side of it.” On a grander scale, Potter and Sands hope their research can create a viable, reproducible, scalable public health intervention program based on Potter’s idea. They also hope their research can inform changes around rental properties so people who want to be pet parents can find more housing options. 

For now, we can all use these findings to inspire our own interventions. “When the bond is there, people will go to the end of the earth for their pet,” says Potter. It’s heartening to learn that bettering our pets’ lives can improve our own health and wellness too. And they don’t need you to go to the end of the earth for them—just to the end of the block. 

Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Having a cat or dog is as good for your wellbeing as having a husband or wife, study finds

Posted on April 15, 2025 | Leave a comment

Coming through the door from a hard day’s work to be greeted by the irrepressible joy of a dog bounding towards you, like they haven’t seen you in years, can be as satisfying as returning to an actual human partner, according to a new study.

Raising a furry companion like a cat or dog can bring you the same psychological benefits as getting married or earning an extra £70,000 a year, researchers at Kent University have found.

Using the “life satisfaction” approach, economists can translate intangible assets like friendship and family into a hypothetical income.

The research conducted on 2,500 British families found that owning a pet was linked to an increase in life satisfaction of 3-4 points on a scale of 1-7, similar to values obtained for meeting with friends and relatives regularly.

The study’s authors say they suspect that many people don’t actually realise how important their pets are for them (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Economists have shown that marriage, compared to being single, is worth around £70,000 a year. Separation, on the other hand, is equivalent to around minus £170,000 a year.

Dr Adelina Gschwandtner of the University of Kent, the lead author of the new study, told The Times she was inspired by a paper that put a price tag on human friendship.

“I thought, ‘well, if it’s possible for friends, why not for pets?’”

“I understand why some people might be sceptical [about the £70,000 value],” she said.

“Given that pets are considered by many as best friends and family members, these values appear to be plausible … I also suspect that many people don’t actually realise how important their pets are for them.”

Regular dog walkers are known to have better cardiovascular health, while having a dog at home can lower risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis in children exposed to pet allergens.

Simply stroking our pets can lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies, leading to a calmer approach to life and thus positively impacting our blood pressure and make you less likely to suffer from clinical depression.

Dr Gschwandtner added: “This research answers the question whether overall pet companions are good for us with a resounding ‘Yes’.

“Pets care for us and there is a significant monetary value associated with their companionship. This information can be used for health care practice and policy aiming to increase well-being and life satisfaction of humans involving pets.”

The research follows a 2022 Pets at Home study that found more than one-quarter of people asked preferred to see their pet over their partner after a day at work.

The research paper ‘The Value of Pets: The Quantifiable Impact of Pets on Life Satisfaction’ is published by Social Indicators Research.

Source: The Independent

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Doggy quote of the month for April

Posted on March 30, 2025 | Leave a comment

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With a nuzzle, paw and kiss, dogs offer a potent antidote to human loneliness

Posted on March 29, 2025 | Leave a comment
Loneliness has become an increased concern nationally since the pandemic. However, studies have shown companionship with dogs can greatly reduce the effects. (VCU Center of Human-Animal Interaction)

By Mia Stephens

Framed by the isolation of the pandemic, loneliness has become a huge concern across the world in recent years. Loneliness is considered as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and may be a greater public health threat than obesity. 

Long known as man’s best friend, dogs are being embraced even more now as a means of combatting loneliness. In one study, frequent interactions with dogs, either through ownerships or through long-term interventions, have been associated with positive psychological outcomes across the human lifespan.  

“They are skilled at socializing with humans, sensitive to our emotional states and gestures – they can communicate using complex cues and form complex attachment relationships with humans,” said Nancy Gee, Ph.D., C-AISS, professor of psychiatry and the director of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Human-Animal Interaction and Bill Balaban Chair in Human-Animal Interaction. “Their attachment to their human owners mirrors that of human babies to their mothers.”  

Gee, whose been studying the relationship between therapy dogs and humans for more than two decades, spoke with VCU Health News about how interactions with dogs can relieve loneliness and increase connection with others.   

How can dogs combat human loneliness?  

Dogs are thought to fulfill the four roles of an attachment figure: They are enjoyable, comforting, missed when absent and sought in times of distress. Adults and children alike confide in their pets because they relieve us from the worry of confidentiality, judgments, or meeting expectations.  

Dogs are known as wonderful “social icebreakers” and referred to as the “great leveler” – people will risk directly engaging with unfamiliar people when there is a dog present. Additionally, research shows that pet owners have made friends through their companion animals, which have helped them engage more in the community.  

When humans interact with a dog in a calm way – where they are stroking the dog and making eye contact, or even talking to the dog – we see that both species release oxytocin (bonding/feel-good hormone), and their cortisol (stress hormone) levels drop. Additionally, their blood pressure and muscle tension lower, and their mood elevates.  

When you combine these responses together, it indicates the interactions are relaxing and enjoyable, which helps to reduce a person’s overall experience of loneliness. 

Is there a difference from other animals?  

Probably, yes, but there is not enough research on the subject to know for certain. We do know that dogs are unique in the animal kingdom. Through domestication and selection, dogs emerged from the grey wolf over a period of at least 35,000 years, and there is probably no other species on the planet as well-matched to human social needs as dogs.  

What are common types of service dogs, and do they differ in addressing human loneliness?  

There are three prominent classifications: 

  • A Service Dog (also called an Assistance Dog) has one handler who has a medically recognized disability. The dog is specially trained to assist that one person (their handler) with some aspect of that disability. For example, some dogs are trained to alert a person with a seizure disorder that a seizure is about to occur. This will allow the person to take medicine, call for assistance and/or get into a safe place/position so that they are not harmed during the actual seizure.  Service Dogs are covered under the American’s with Disabilities Act and are granted access to public facilities and housing that otherwise excludes pets. 
  • An Emotional Support Animal can be any animal species and requires no specific training. An ESA supports one person with a mental disability by comforting that person in a way that reduces symptoms. ESA status is determined by a mental health professional who writes a letter attesting to the animal’s role and housing status if pets are otherwise not allowed. However, ESAs are not permitted any other public access. 
  • A Therapy Dog is handled by one person, but the dog’s job is to interact with many people who may benefit from the interaction. Therapy dogs, like those in our center’s Dogs on Call program, are granted access to facilities and transportation based on the permission of the administration of the facility or transportation provider, and the requirements of the program in which the dogs participate. 

Currently, there is very little research that compares the three classifications of animals and the effects of SDs or ESAs in reducing loneliness. However, Dogs on Call specifically, and other therapy dogs in general, have been found to significantly reduce loneliness in the people they visit. 

Does human age matter in regard to loneliness and the benefits of interacting with dogs?  

We have results back from our own randomized clinical trials showing that for older adults and for adults with mental illness, interacting with Dogs on Call dogs and handlers is effective at reducing loneliness.  

We’ve just completed data collection on our pediatric study, so we don’t know the answer just yet, but we have reason to believe that across the human lifespan, interacting with a therapy dog can reduce loneliness. Additionally, one study showed that adolescents derive more satisfaction from, and engage in less conflict with, their pets than with their human siblings.

Source: VCU Health (Virginia Commonwealth University)

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Doggy quote of the month for March

Posted on March 1, 2025 | Leave a comment

“There is nothing truer in this world than the love of a good dog.”

– Mira Grant, author

Sox Fawn Greyhound

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Dogs’ and owners’ hearts sync during interactions, research finds

Posted on February 16, 2025 | Leave a comment
Photo credit: Adobe Stock

Researchers have uncovered new insights into the relationship between dogs and their owners. A study published in Scientific Reports has found that a dog’s heart rate variability adapts to its owner’s heart rate variability during interaction. This physiological “co-modulation” suggests that emotional states are shared between dogs and their owners, offering new understanding of the deep bond shared between the two species.

The relationship between dogs and humans has evolved over thousands of years, creating bonds akin to those between human caregivers and children. Researchers sought to explore whether these bonds are reflected in shared physiological states, such as heart rate variability, which indicates the balance between relaxation and arousal in the autonomic nervous system.

While prior studies examined behavioral and hormonal synchronization between dogs and humans, little was known about their physiological synchrony. By investigating this co-modulation, the researchers hoped to provide a clearer picture of the emotional and physiological connections that underpin the human-dog bond.

“I have always been fascinated by human-animal relationships and the close attachment bonds we can form with non-human animals, both from personal experience and from a scientific perspective. The dog-human relationship is particularly intriguing because the domestication of dogs has resulted in their remarkable sensitivity and ability to interpret human gestures and emotions,” said study author Aija Koskela, a researcher at the University of Helsinki and University of Jyväskylä

The study included 25 dog-owner pairs, focusing on cooperative dog breeds such as retrievers and herding dogs, which are known for their sensitivity to human cues. Dogs and their owners were recruited through social media and a cognitive testing company. Exclusion criteria for participants ensured that neither dogs nor owners had health conditions or behaviors that could interfere with the study’s measures. The owners, mostly women aged 40.8 years on average, lived with their dogs as indoor pets, and most of the dogs had been trained in dog sports like agility or obedience.

In a controlled environment, researchers attached heart rate monitors to both dogs and owners to measure heart rate variability. The pairs participated in six different tasks designed to mimic natural interactions, such as playing, stroking, training, and sniffing. These activities varied in physical intensity to distinguish the effects of emotional arousal from physical activity. Heart rate variability data was collected and analyzed alongside measures of physical activity using synchronized monitors.

Owners also completed questionnaires to assess their temperament and the quality of their relationship with their dogs. These tools allowed researchers to investigate how individual differences in personality and emotional closeness influenced the physiological responses of both dogs and owners.

The researchers found that dogs’ heart rate variability and activity levels were closely linked to their owners’. During periods of rest and calm interaction, such as before and after structured tasks, dogs and owners showed significant co-modulation in heart rate variability. This suggests a shared emotional arousal, likely influenced by the strong bond between the pairs. During more physically demanding activities like playing, the correlation between the pairs’ physical activity was stronger, but heart rate variability remained influenced by the shared emotional context.

“I believe this study confirms that the emotional mechanisms underlying dog-human interactions are similar to those in human attachment relationships, where emotions are shared and transmitted between attachment figures,” Koskela told PsyPost. “From a practical standpoint, I think it’s helpful for dog owners to remember that their emotions can greatly influence their dog’s behavior. We often focus so much on the dog’s actions that we overlook the emotional state driving them, or how our own feelings influence our dog.”

“For example, trying to calm a child while feeling upset yourself often doesn’t work—whereas calming yourself first helps the child feel secure. Likewise, dogs are highly attuned to human emotions. Being mindful of your emotional state can make challenging situations easier for both you and your dog.”

Interestingly, several factors shaped these physiological connections. For example, the dog’s heart rate variability was influenced by its size, the duration of its relationship with its owner, and the level of shared activities reported by the owner. Larger dogs and those living with their owners for a longer time tended to have lower heart rate variability, suggesting greater arousal or excitement during the tasks. Owners who scored higher on measures of negative affectivity (a tendency toward experiencing negative emotions) had dogs with higher heart rate variability.

Notably, the physiological synchronization between dogs and owners occurred only within the established pairs. When researchers randomly matched dogs with non-owners, this connection disappeared, confirming that the bond between a dog and its owner uniquely facilitates this co-modulation.

“Quite a few things surprised us,” Koskela said. “First, it was fascinating to observe that the emotional connection between dogs and their owners could be detected at physiological level over a relatively short time—the study lasted just an hour. Previously, emotional synchronization between dogs and owners has been studied at hormonal level over much longer time periods. Our study shows that this emotional connection can be detected in a very short time period and I think it’s amazing.”

“Second, it was surprising that the dog’s physiological state measured as heart rate variability explained the owner’s heart rate variability more than the other factors generally affecting the heart rate variability like age or weight. Lastly, I find it interesting that dogs belonging to owners with higher levels of negative affectivity, one of the four temperament traits, were more relaxed throughout the study. This could be because such owners often form very close emotional bonds with their dogs, offering also emotional support for the dog.”

The study highlights the physiological connection between dogs and their owners, suggesting that emotional and autonomic states are interlinked during interaction. However, there are some limitations to consider.

“The current study was limited by its relatively small sample size,” Koskela noted. “However, statistical analysis confirmed the reliability of the findings. Our sample also primarily consisted of female dog owners, which is noteworthy since an owner’s gender may influence both dog behavior and physiology. Furthermore, the sample likely reflects a bias toward active and committed dog owners, as most of the participants practiced dog sports and volunteered for the study in their free time without monetary compensation. Therefore, it is plausible that dog-owner dyads with more functional relationships than average are overrepresented in this study.”

Looking forward, Koskela said that she is “interested in studying emotional synchrony between dogs and their owners in greater detail, particularly on a moment-to-moment level and the factors that modulate it (e.g., personality traits or time lived together). More broadly, I aim to identify the factors associated with functional dog-owner relationships.”

“It’s noteworthy that we studied only cooperative breeds, which are known to be especially sensitive to human behavior and emotions. It would be fascinating to study more ancient breeds to determine whether their emotional states are similarly modulated by their owners.”

The study, “Behavioral and emotional co-modulation during dog–owner interaction measured by heart rate variability and activity,” was authored by Aija Koskela, Heini Törnqvist, Sanni Somppi, Katriina Tiira, Virpi-Liisa Kykyri, Laura Hänninen, Jan Kujala, Miho Nagasawa, Takefumi Kikusui, and Miiamaaria V. Kujala.

Source: Psypost.org

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Senior dog walkers demonstrate better balance and fewer falls

Posted on February 4, 2025 | 1 comment

A new study from Trinity College Dublin suggests that older adults who regularly walk their dogs show improved balance and fewer falls compared to their peers.

The research, published in the Journals of Gerontology, examined data from over 4,000 community-dwelling adults aged 60 and older, finding that 15% were regular dog walkers, defined as walking their dogs four or more times per week.

“Regular dog walking was associated with better mobility, with a 1.4 second faster Timed-Up-and-Go test on average,” the study noted. “Regular dog walkers also had a 40% lower likelihood of unexplained falls over the last 2 years and a 20% lower likelihood of current fear of falling in fully-adjusted regression models.”

The research also found that simply owning a dog without regularly walking it did not provide the same benefits. Dog owners who didn’t regularly walk their pets showed no reduction in mobility problems or falls, suggesting the physical activity of dog walking, rather than pet ownership alone, drives the improvements.

Regular dog walkers in the study tended to be younger, used fewer medications, and had lower rates of heart disease. They were also more likely to have never smoked, suggesting an overall healthier lifestyle profile.

The study observed that almost 13% of participants owned dogs but didn’t walk them regularly. This group showed higher rates of mobility concerns and fear of falling compared to regular dog walkers, further emphasizing the importance of consistent dog walking activity.

The findings add to growing evidence that dog walking can serve as a consistent form of physical activity that helps maintain mobility and reduce fall risk among older adults.

Source: McKnights Long-Term Care News

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